'The Sympathizer' Finale: Top 5 best moments from Max mini-series' Season 1
Contains spoilers for 'The Sympathizer'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: As 'The Sympathizer' concludes its run with its seventh episode, we can't help but reflect upon Park Chan-wook's iconic work as a director and show runner.
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's prize-winning novel of the same name, the HBO series makes a subtle commentary on politics, aftermath of war, and moral dilemmas, under the cover of dark humor.
The series premiered on April 14, 2024 and delivered an epic finale on May 26. While Captain's (Hoa Xuande) adventures as a spy reach a satisfying resolution, here's a look at the best moments from the series:
1. Major Oahn's killing in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 3
'The Sympathizer' is a kind of series that needs your patience to be eventually liked. The frequent switch between languages and flash forwards in Episode 1 may come out as a little confusing.
However, once you decide to be patient enough, you are drawn to Captain's life, his fears, guilt and dilemmas.
The first unforgettable moment has to be the assassination of Major Oahn (Phanxinê) in Episode 3.
As Captain fears his cover might be blown, he incriminates Major as a spy. As a result, Claude (Robert Downey Jr.) orders him to "take care" of the situation.
The twist is, our Captain hasn't killed anyone before. And therefore, he takes help of his good friend Bon (Fred Nguyen Khan).
After trailing him for days and looking for the right moment, Captain finally corners Major.
Their physical struggle, followed by Captain's guilt makes one of the finest moments in the entire series.
2. Interrogation of a spy in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 3
In Episode 3, Captain recalls the time he, along with Claude, tortured a fellow communist spy.
Amid the interrogation, he warns the spy about CIA's harsh methods. It is during this moment, Captain tears up, as he sympathizes with the prisoner, knowing that someday, it could be himself.
To spare him from the torture, he helps him suffocate on an egg.
Captain appears helpless here, stuck between his duties as a spy and the pain of seeing his fellow spy choke to death.
Humor is injected to tone down the horrors of the scene as Claude grossly eats the egg after it flies out of the prisoner’s mouth.
3. Captain and Niko Damianos' argument in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 4
Though Episode 4 is one of the most bizarre episodes of the series, it delivers a few exciting moments.
Captain pauses his spy duties and joins Hollywood filmmaker Niko Damianos (Robert Downey Jr.) of his film set, taking the role of cultural consultant.
Captain, of course, doesn't agree on a lot of things. But what triggers him the most is Niko's decision to name Lana's (Vy Le) on-screen character after Captain's dead mother. Niko introduces a sexual assault scene between the lead actor and Lana.
This doesn't go well with Captain, who gets into a heated argument with Niko, before he is ultimately fired from his job.
4. Captain's plea rejected in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 6
Episode 6 has several noteworthy moments as Captain's agony increases amid General (Toan Le) dedication to reclaim their homeland. Captain is convinced that it’s a "lost war" and a "suicide mission" for whomever is participating in it.
When he learns that Bon is a part of General's mission too, he requests his handler, Man (Duy Nguyễn), to call him to Vietnam as he believes is the only way to save Bon from meeting a tragic end.
Much to his surprise, Captain's request is denied. Captain is seeing having a moment of extreme frustration as he yells at Man in his imagination.
5. Captain's confession in 'The Sympathizer' Episode 6
For the longest time, Captain has managed to keep his identity hidden from General, Bon, Claude, and everyone else around him.
However, there comes a moment when Captain makes a confession in 'The Sympathizer'.
It is well established that Captain doesn't like Sonny Tran (Alan Trong), partly because he has chosen a side, but majorly because he "stole" his girlfriend.
Captain is looking for a reason to kill him and Sofia Mori (Sandra Oh) can't be it. And therefore, he wants Sonny to confess that he is a communist. To instigate him, Captain ends up confessing everything about himself.
From being the spy for the North, to killing Major Oahn, Captain shares it all, while mentioning his envy for Sonny who has picked a side and is ready to face the consequences.
The confrontation is followed by Captain killing Sonny and escaping the scene.
'The Sympathizer' trailer
'The Sympathizer' is available to stream on HBO Max